It's Rick Santorum's turn to win a caucus, and he is close to doing that in Kansas. Granted, this process of selecting a Republican presidential candidate is not a turn-based system, but in this case, Santorum does owe his competitors a debt of gratitude for giving him a big leg-up.

Romney and Gingrich have essentially ceded the Kansas race to Santorum, abandoning plans to campaign in the state ahead of the contest and instead focusing on Tuesday primaries in Mississippi and Alabama.

Well, there you have it. With the competition out of the way, Santorum is definitely the frontrunner.

But wait — let's not forget Ron Paul, who also campaigned in Kansas. He's just not doing so well. Clay Barker, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, suggests that Paul has the disadvantage of having a significant number of non-registered Republican supporters who can't vote in the caucus.

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Regardless, it looks like a good day for Santorum, who proudly declared at a rally in Wichita Friday evening, "We chased all the candidates out of Kansas!" Well, that, or they left of their own volition. Either way.